Turbine apparatus



Patented June 28,` 1949 TURBINE APPARATUS Reinout P. Kroon, Swarthmore, Pa., assigner to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation o! Pennsylvania Application January 3, 1946, Serial No. .638,794

2 claims. 1

The invention relates to power plants, more particularly to means for cooling lubricating oil and de-icing the inlet guide vanes to the power plant, and it has for an object to provide improved apparatus of the character set forth.

The invention, while not limited thereto, is particularly adapted to be used to cool lubricating oil and de-ice the inlet guide vanes of a gas turbine power plant like that disclosed in the copending application of Stewart Way, Serial No. 482,533, led April 10, 1943, now matured into Patent No. 2,405,723 of Aug. 13, 1946, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Such a power plant includes an axial-now air compressor, a gas turbine driving the compressor, combustion apparatus utilizing compressed air supplied thereto by the compressor to provide heated and compressed gases for operation of the turbine, and a nozzle utilizing gases exhausting from the turbine to provide a propulsion jet, all of these components being housed in line within a tubular casing. A plant of this character is particularly suitable for propelling aircraft at high speeds and it operates generally as follows: Air enters the forward end of the tubular casing for compression by the compressor; the

compressed air is then heated in the heating or combustion apparatus by the combustion of fuel supported by the compressed air to provide motive fluid delivered to the turbine, which drives the compressor; and motive uid issuing from the turbine is discharged through the propinsion nozzle as a jet, the reaction of which serves to propel the aircraft.

In the operation of a power plant of the abovementioned type under adverse weather conditions, icing may occuron the compressor inlet guide vanes, and when this occurs, the effective cross-sectional area is reduced, thus reducing the quantity of air flowing to the air heating apparatus. This reduction in air ow will diminish the thrust or power output; also, due to the fact that a reduced quantity of combustion and cooling air is owing through the air heating apparatus, the exhaust gas temperature may rise to a dangerous degree,thereby causing damage to, or destruction of, the power plant.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided means, which will prevent ice forming on the inlet guide vanes for the air compressor and at the same time act as a cooler for the lubricating oil system.

It is another object of the invention to provide hollow inlet guide vanes for the air compressor of an aircraft power plant, adapted to an oil cooler which will de-ice the inlet guidel vanes to the compressor and which will be relatively safe from damage due to foreign objects.. A still further object of the invention is to pro-v vide a combined lubrication oil cooler and deicer for the inlet guide vanes which will have an overall weight reduction, and at the same time eliminate special de-icing apparatus.

'ihese and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational View of a gas turbine power plant in which the present invention has been incorporated, a portion of the outer casing structure being broken away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is an, enlarged diagrammatic sectional view of a portion of the inlet of the power plant as shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III- III of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and,

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing the inlet guide vanes.

Referring now to the drawings, the power plant shown in Fig. 1 comprises in general an outer tubular casing structure I0, open from end to end and having a central core II providing, with the casing, an annular ow passage I2, which, if the plant is to be used for propelling an airplane, is adapted to extend fore and aft with respect to the latter.

The central core structureII is supported by ing for driving auxiliary apparatus (not shown), and a front bearing I5, and it is supported from the casing I by a plurality of hollow compressor inlet guide vanes I6.

The core II also includes a rotor I1 of an axial-dow compressor I8, a rotor I9 of a gas turbine 2l and a longitudinally adjustable conical tailpiece 22, which defines, with the rear end of the casing I0, an adjustable propulsion nozzle 23.

The intermediate portion of the core structure between the compressor I8 and the turbine 2I comprisesA an inner wall structure 24 which houses a shaft 25, supported by an intermediate bearing 33 and a rear bearing 34, respectively, for connecting the turbine rotor I9 and compressor rotor I1. The inner wall structure 24 defines, with the outer casing I-, an annular chamber 26 connecting the compressor blade passage and the turbine blade passage.

The chamber 26 is provided with suitable air heating means, such as shown in the copending application of Stewart Way et al., Serial No. 511,468, filed November 23, 1943, for heating the air compressed by the compressor. In the embodiment herein shown, an annular, perforated, tapered burner tube 21 is mounted in the annular chamber 26 with its open end 28 directed downstream. Fuel is supplied` to the burner tube 21, by atomizing nozzles 32, from a fuel supply (not shown). Suitable means, including spark plugs 35, are provided to initiate and maintain ignition of the air-fuel mixture in the burner tube for continuous combustion.

In operation, air enters at the inlet I4, is compressed by the compressor I8, and flows into the annular chamber 26. The compressed air then passes through the openings in the walls of the burner tube 21 and mixes with the atomized fue] supplied by the nozzles 32. The air and fuel mixture is ignited by the spark plugs and burns steadily thereafter.' The motive fluid comprising the products of combustion and the excess air flows from the burner tube 21 and is directed by guide vanes or nozzles 36 into the blade pas'- sage of the turbine rotor I8. The turbine ex tracts at least sufficient energy from the motive huid to drive the compressor I8 and other auxiliary apparatus. The gases leaving the turbine are discharged through the propulsion nozzle 23 at a high velocity so that the remaining available energy in the motive uid is effective to propel the aircraft. The tailpiece 22 is preferably axially movable with respect to the casing I0 so that the back pressure on the turbine and the jet effect produced by the nozzle may be varied.

In order to lubricate the front, intermediate and rear bearings l5, 33 and 34, in the abovementioned power plant, a lubricating oil system is provided. This lubrication oil system is preferably of the closed recirculating type, and, in the embodiment shown, has a reservoir 31, preferably placed around the air inlet portion of the power plant, intermediate the outer shell I0 and the inner annular flowpath I2, although it may be situated at any convenient location. Preferably, a forced feed lubricating pump 38, driven in any suitable manner, is disposed between the reservoir 31 and the bearings. The lubricating pump 38 withdraws oil from the reservoir 31 by means of a suction conduit 39 and discharges the oil at high pressure to a plurality of supply conduits 40, 4I and 42 for the delivery of lubricating oil to the front, intermediate, and rear bearings I5, 33 and 34, respectively, and

to any other additional equipment which may require lubrication. It is to be understood that the usual safety devices, such as, for example, relief valves and by-passes for the protection of the lubricating system, have been deleted for the sake of clearness.

When the oil passes through the bearings, to lubricate and cool the same, it is preferably collected and delivered, by a, plurality of conduits 43, 44 and 45, to scavenging pump means, generally indicated at 46. This scavenging pump means 46 is fully described in the copending application of Albert S. Thompson, Serial No. 520,- 488, filed January 31, 1944, now matured into Patent No. 2,402,467 of June 18, 1946 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The details of the scavenging pump 46 form no part of the present invention; however, its general object is to provide means to insure the removal of oil after it passes through the bearings. This positive removal of oil helps to prevent leaks on the low-pressure side of the system, and to provide means for forcing the heated return oil through a conduit 41 to the hollow guide vanes I6. These hollow guide vanes I5 are also utilized as a heat exchanger 48 to cool the oil iiowing therethrough. After passing through the heat exchanger 48, the oil flows through a conduit 49 into the reservoir 31 to be recirculated.

The present invention is concerned with means for preventing icing at the inlet of the gas turbine power plant and, more particularly, with the prevention of ice formation at the most vulnerable point of the inlet, that is, at the compressor inlet guide vanes I6, and at the same time, to provide eflicient cooling of the lubricating oil.

The compressor inlet guide vanes I6, which also form the heat exchange apparatus 48, are disposed circumferentially in the forward suction portion 5I of the annular ow path I2 and they define ow passages 52, as shown in Fig. 4, for the passage of air therebetween. Such guide vanes I6 accelerate and direct the incoming air in the proper direction, prior to entering the first stage of the compressor I8, to increase compression efficiency. Due to the position of the guide vanes. I6 in the annular ow path 5I, they are the first members met by the air and present an apparent solid surface (see Fig. 3), and also,

'at this point the velocity of the air in increased above, and the pressure descreased below, that at any other part of the inlet I4.

Therefore, it is at the inlet guide vanes i6 that icing is most likely to occur, and due to the high air velocity, the heat exchange rate will also be high. The provision of the heat exchanger 48 in the inlet guide vanes I6 for oil cooling, will, therefore, heat the guide vanes to prevent ice forming thereon and at the same time provide a high heat transfer rate heat exchanger.

In order to incorporate the above-mentioned oil cooling heat exchanger 48 in the hollow guide vanes I6, there is provided the usual inner and outer vane-supporting shrouds 54 and 55, respectively, which are punched to receive, and adapted to be rigidly fastened to, the inner and outer ends of the hollow guide vanes I6 without obstructing the hollow interior thereof. This unobstruction of the interior of the guide vanes provides for iiuid flow paths therethrough.

Cooperating with, and spaced from the inner shroud 54, is an inner tubular member 56 which provides an inner annular distributing or return manifold 51. In this embodiment (Fig. 3), the

, tion the air velocity is very guide vanes IB. Likewise. the outer shroud 55 cooperates with an outer tubular member 58 to provide an outer annular chamber 59. The outer ends of the hollow guide vanes I6 are all in direct communication with this outer chamber 5 9; however, this outer chamber 59 is divided into an inlet manifold 60 and an outlet manifold 6| by a pair of oppositely-spaced partitions 62 and 63. These partitions 82 and 63 are disposed so that approximately one-half of the outer ends of the guide vanes open into the inlet manifold and the other half open into the outlet manifold.

With the above partition arrangement, the

guide v-anes I6 are divided into two groups 64 v and 65, which are connected in series by the inner manifold 51, and each group consists of a'plurality of hollow vanes I6 providing parallel.

ilow paths therethrough. It is to be understood that by arranging partitions in the inner and outer-manifolds, any combination of series and parallel flow paths may be provided to cool the oil, depending upon requirements determined by the various characteristics of the lubrication system, such as, for example, the-rate of. flow, quan# tity, temperature, size of guide vanes. etc.

'I he inlet manifold 60 receives the heated return oil discharged -by the scavenging pump 46 through the conduit 41, and distributes it for parallel flow through the guide vanes I6 in the group 64. The oil flowing through this group 64 of vanes is discharged to the manifold 51, wherein it is delivered to the second group 65 of vanes for parallel flow therethrough. After passing through this second group of vanes, the oil is collected in the outlet manifold 60 and iows through the conduit 41 to the reservoir 31 for recirculation.

It can be seen that from the time the heated oil enters the first group 64 of guide vanes until it leaves the second group 65, the oil is cooled lby the air flowing through the passages 52 between the guide vanes, and that at this particular loca- .high, which conseqnently produces a high heat transfer rate.

. Also, the oil cooler will not produce an additional oil cooling function,

pressure drop because oi' its as it is an integral part of the compressor i8. Furthermore, as the oil is cooled, the guide vanes i8 are heated,l which prevents ice accumulating thereon.

It should 'be noted that, by utilizing the inlet guide vanes for oil cooling, additional oil cooling equipment is eliminated, whiclnin the embodiinner annular overall length of the by the rotor, a

, tween the rows ment shown, will permit a. shorter annular air inlet duct 'and consequently smaller inlet pres-` sure loss, and this feature thereby reduces the power plant with an overall weight reduction.

Another feature of importancevis that, as a.V

result of this construction, may be moved further forward and, in some installations, such as, for example, military aircraft, the oil cooler is less vulnerable to puncture by bullets, etc.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In an aircraft gas turbine power plant including an axial iow compressor having its inlet open to the atmosphere approximately in the direction of flight and comprising a rotor, a stator,

the center of .gravity a bearing for said rotor near the forward end thereof, a housing for said bearing, a plurality of axially spaced rows of moving blades carried plurality of rows of stationary blades carried -by the stator and disposed beof moving blades, a row of stationary vanes extending generally radially between said bearing housing and the stator up' stream of the rst row of moving blades for supporting the bearing `housing from the stator and for guiding entering air to the rst row of moving blades, and means for'heating said vanes to prevent formation of ice thereon.

-2. Structure as specified in claim 1, wherein the vanes are hollow and the last-mentioned means includes apparatus for passing through the hollow vanes lubricant from the bearing, whereby the vanes are heated and the oil is cooled.

REINOUT P. KROON.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

